Solace in Shade
by GaoAsaurusG
Summary: This story is based on an in-game RP. This is the first RP session of a series, each to be posted separately.
1. Chapter 1

Raven leaned his shoulder against the thick wooden pole that stood in the middle of the tent. It felt cool against skin that burned half from the effects of hard labor under the desert sun and half he guessed from the growing infection spreading thru the wounds on his back. The intricate lattice of red, weeping stripes aggravated by sand and sun made it nearly impossible for him to find comfort in any position for long. He knew the marks encircling his wrists from the heavy manacles chaining him to the pole had become infected. Their inflammation gave off such heat the metal cuffs no longer felt cool at night. Shifting his weight awakened the dull ache along his left side. Two, maybe three broken ribs he mused. He couldn't be sure anymore. The pain that once made every breath an agony had grown numb or maybe it was he who had. There had been a time he still held out hope that his brother's-in-arms would descend on midnight wings to free him from his captors. Now he only thought of food and sleep. At night he dreamt of curling up beneath the embrace of his soot coloured wings, but the drugs the Elyos kept giving him robbed him of even that. The burgundy coloured liquid they forced down his throat each dawn left him with a ringing in his ears while draining him of his mana and preventing him from unfurling his wings. Raven stared at his palms, worn raw and blistered from pushing the heavy wheelbarrow that had become his entire world. The irony of how he'd fallen into the hands of the Elyos wasn't lost on him... a rock, a tiny little rock and one hyper alert mage. Raven had felt the pebble slide from under his heel, but he didn't hear it hit the ground. The next thing he remembered was waking up in chains. He lost track of how many days they had spent interrogating him, having lost consciousness to many times to keep it straight in his mind. Raven had been well trained though, the only things his inquisitors managed to wrench from him were his blood and screams.

The heat of the day still clung to the air, but Raven found himself shivering. He didn't know if it was from his rising fever or the memories of his ordeal. It was then that she appeared. A vision in white from head to toe. She glided toward him with unearthly grace, her eyes as soft as a Daru. Her slender fingers reached out to his burning brow. Cold as ice they rested there, her touch so comforting he found himself closing his eyes, his head leaning into her hand. She shimmered like the snows of Morheim and he thought for a moment that Lady Triniel had sent this vision to escort his soul to the Aether, until she spoke.

" Poor thing." She said. Her accent betrayed her as Elyos and he glared at her, his golden eyes taking on a menacing glow as crimson as the sun that slowly set behind him.

" So, I guess you are supposed to be a snow clad memory of home sent in some new attempt to coax information from me." He growled, pulling away from her touch. " Or have you come to take me off to some new ordeal beneath this blasted sun of yours? Best be quick about it either way. There is precious little left in me, so I doubt you will be able to wrench as gratifying of sport from watching me bleed. You'll find you have tarried over long, dear. My voice, no longer quite as strong as when your whips were teaching me new songs to sing."

" Neither." She said, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and pity. " I'm simply a tailor, here to take measurements and believe me when I say I mean you no harm."

" You mean me no harm? I've heard those self same words from the lips of those who later laughed as I writhed in pain." He said sardonically. " Your kind knows no greater pleasure than inflicting harm on Asmodians like me."

"Poor soul." She said. " I know another like you who suffered the lash at the hands of my people. I'm sorry. Please know that not all of the Elyos are like those who have hurt you." Lowering her eyes, she reached up into her hair. She removed an ornament and worked at it in her hand. With a faint crack, the pin came loose. A look of satisfaction on her face, she placed the pin in the sand beside Raven. " Here, take this." She whispered.

Raven's eyes darted from Shade to the pin that winked up at him from the sand and back to her with mistrust. Sure that this was some devious plan to kindle in him a spark of hope before cruely extinguishing it, Raven sat as still as he could with the shivering he could not manage to quell. " Take it?" he sneered. " ...and do what exactly, White Wing? Free myself of these so that you can call out to the guards and watch them cut me down for your amusement?" He said extending a manacled wrist just enough to cause his chains to clink softly.

" Poor thing, you've been used so badly." She said sorrowfully. " I do not offer this to see you suffer. On the contrary, I have an idea."

Again his eyes, unable to resist the temptation, moved from her to the object of his possible escape. He could detect no guile in her words nor her manner. Moments ago, he sat resigned to die. Now, he was filled with an intense desire to live. The sun sat half devoured by the horizon and the ringing in his ears had subsided to a barely audible hum. He might, just might be able to scrape together the mana he'd need to conceal himself long enough to evade detection. Wheat coloured eyes glinted almost as brightly as the thin metal rod laying in the sand. Something about her made him want to believe her. Something he could not explain, but wasted little time working over. This was his chance. Possibly his only one. His strength was waning. He knew it was only a matter of time before it failed him completely or he succumbed to the infection that had settled into his wounds. If it was Triniel's will for him to die in this desert, Raven would rather meet that fate free than have it find him in chains. His hand darted out, taking the pin from where it lay almost to quickly for Shade to see him do it. In the space of a heartbeat, the manacles lay open at his feet. He sprang in one fluid movement, pinning the Elyos to the center tent pole, his hand around her neck. The sudden exertion made his vision blur and his head spin. Not wishing to show any sign of his weakness, he placed his other hand on the pole above her head to support himself.

Leaning in close, he breathed into her ear menacingly "...and what might this 'idea' of your's be...?"

Fear flashed across Shade's face as she found herself thrust against the center tent pole, his hand around her throat, holding her there. The Asmodian leaned in so close she could feel the heat from his flushed skin radiating onto her face. He whispered into her ear, his words dripping with malice, but as he drew his face away to look into her eyes, she saw no real hatred in his slightly unfocused stare. His golden eyes instead, swum with desperation...and hope. Slowly, careful not to spook the man, Shade raised her hands to grasp the arm that held her firmly in place. Squeezing just enough to garner a response, she moved to push his arm down and away from her. As she had hoped, he released his hold on her allowing her touch to guide him. " You're free from the chains that held you here. You could take me as your hostage to help your escape." She said watching him closely, judging his mood.

Visibly shocked by her plan, he took a step away from her. What she proposed flew in the face of his personal code. Oh, his blade had never hesitated to cut the throats of any of his targets nor those that stood in the way of his completing his missions, but this? This he was loath to even consider. " No,... no. You have just given me a chance at freedom, risking more than just your own to do so. I could never repay your gift by placing you in danger." Raven said solemnly. Shade stood considering his words. " My kind have difficulty seeing in the dark, especially at this time of day. You could slip away into the night." She proposed.

Raven nodded as she spoke. Then he did something he never thought he would ever do of his own free will. He knelt at the feet of an Elyos. " Raven, Raven ShadowSong of Morheim." He said rising from his knees. " I owe you a debt. One that will not easily be repaid. I owe you my life. You are an Elyos, but I pledge to place you under my protection should you ever find need. I give you my word and my word is my bond."

" Your name." She said. " It's fitting. Shade, my name is Shade."

" You should leave first...Shade. I shall wait until you are safely away before I make my move." He said peering thru a gap in the tent fabric. " Go, go now. Try not to draw attention to your leaving."

She held him in her gaze a moment more, then she walked out of the tent and out of his view.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was an ovoid sliver of blood above the mountains, when Raven made his move. It had been an eternity of waiting for this cruel Elysian sun to set. Closing his eyes at the entry to the tent, he reached deep, deep down and gathered his mana. Like a dying flame given air it flared to life. Stepping outside the tent, it was now or never. He tried to make himself vanish from view as he crept to the edge of the inner compound. He worked his way around the path until he found a missing board and slipped his way underneath it. Looking to the stars to get his bearings, Raven headed cautiously out into gloaming toward the rolling dunes, sweeping the footsteps he left behind with a bit of brush.

He had wanted to stick to traveling only by night, but the urgency to put as much distance between himself and the labor camp saw him scrambling up and sliding down the dunes under the scorching rays of a cruel desert Sun. He managed to find an Amalil which he broke open with his claws. It's pulpy flesh was bitter, but wet and moisture was all he cared about at that time. The juice he managed to squeeze from the plant did little to help the headache that stabbed like a thousand knives behind his eyes. He burrowed his body into the gentle slope of a dune, using a piece of the barrel shaped Amalil's husk to keep the sand from his face and for shade, in hopes of sleeping the rest of the day away.

Managing to drift in and out, Raven woke as the shadows filling the troughs between the dunes rose slowly up the slopes like an incoming tide. Extricating himself from the den he had spent the day was an agony, the weight of the dune top scraping like sheets of sandpaper over his raw wounds. He found he had to pause several times during the process to keep from passing out. As he lay panting, free from his burrow, he spied a plump looking lizard plodding it's way higher up the dune. The shade slowed creature caught, he tore at it's throat with his teeth, gagging on the thick warm blood at first, but as it slaked his thirst he was soon sucking out the last drop. Hungry as he was, he knew better than to eat. Digestion would only rob his body of more water and he was already suffering from dehydration.

Traveling by night and hiding in the sand by day, he made for the rift that would take him home. Thirst driving him half mad and his fever casting him into waking dreams, he was soon stumbling through the sand aimlessly.

Wet, cool and sweet, the water touched his tongue. Greedily he grasp for it, claws scratching across metal. Heedless in his thirst, he reached out for more. The world came into focus and the face beneath a plate helm was one he knew. Shade cleaned the sand and debris from his wounds as best she could before wrapping him tightly in the bandages she had brought. She clad him in a jerkin and bid him to follow. Like so many dreams before, he obeyed, joyous in his rescue

It wasn't long before dream faded into reality. Sweat soaked his bandages. The sting keeping him focused most of the time. It was a pain he could happily endure, as every moment, of every step took him closer, closer to something he had forgotten, but knew in his heart was important. He kept on mile after mile placing foot after foot in the prints she left behind. Watching the measured rise and fall of her wings and doing his best to match them when they flew. The world around him blurred in and out, but never once did she.

Suddenly the air was brisk. It hit his lungs like a slap to the face. In a moment of lucidity he saw the waterfall and knew where he was." Careful!" Raven called out to Shade, offering his hand. " The rocks are slick." He saw a man at a campfire further up the bank, stooped over a cauldron, stirring. It was a sight that had welcomed him countless times. Home, he was home. "Fayvr!" Raven sang out, giddy in his relief. A stiff breeze blew over the new fallen snow, kicking up a shimmering cloud of white. He watched the flakes float gracefully thru the space between him and the supply depot. As the breeze died and the airborne snow fell softly back to the ground so did Raven.

A familiar voice called his name. Turning, Fayvr saw Raven stumbling toward him in unfamiliar gear followed by an Elyos. Weighing the state his old protege seemed to be in and the way the Elyos girl ran to Raven when he collapsed, Fayvr decided not to kill her outright Hoisting the lad into his arms, Fayver was shocked at how light a load the young Deava was. He carried Raven into his tent, laying him down with care. He nodded to the Elyos motioning for her to go in, closing the tent flap behind them. Fayvrs' daggers were ready enough should his initial assessment prove false.

Inside the tent, Shade knelt beside the Asmodian who lay wracked with fever. Carefully she removed the jerkin she had given him without problem, but as she sought to change his bandages, he cried out. His hand suddenly around her neck, glazed eyes smoldering crimson as his claws dug in, drawing blood . The pain flared and she felt faint. Doing the only thing she could think of, she slammed her forearm down across his wounded back. This torn a scream from his throat, but it also loosed his grip. His arm falling to the floor of the tent and so did she.

Fayvr heard Raven cry out . He whipped open the tent flap to see the Elyos girl start to crumple. Knowing she had for some reason come thru the rift with the lad, he caught her before she hit the ground. Laying her down gently, he bandaged the wounds he was sure Raven had inflicted, before seeing to the boy. Inhaling an angry hiss through his teeth at the state in which he found the young Assassin to be. The reason the other had not paid him a visit in so long evident to see. The brow beneath Fayvr's fingers burned like fire and he carefully helped the semi-conscious male get down an antipyretic tonic. When he had finished what the plate covered lass had started, he went outside to keep watch over the ungainly pair.


	3. Chapter 3

Raven woke with a start. The nightmare still fresh in his mind; his hand, his claws, her neck, her blood. Try as he might, he could not get the horrifying image out of his mind. He ran a hand over his face, exhaling thru his nose slowly. Looking around the tent, he saw her. Shade lay on her side, sleeping soundly, her back to him. He slipped into the set of leather armor he was sure Fayvr had set out for him, waiting to tighten the straps and buckles fully once he was outside. On silent feet, he padded out of the tent, careful not to wake her. The sun sparkled off the snowcovered trees on either side of the shallow stream. Crasaurs splashed playfully in the water, chasing after the Gadil. The muffled roar of the Ice Falls waterfall filled his ears like an old familiar song. A cauldron hung suspended over a fire from a spit while a man whose back was to him crouched before it, patiently stirring. Raven stood, taking it all in.

Raven had awoken to this view more times than he could count. He walked down the well worn path to the fire and sat without a word. Three..Two..The man stirring the pot without looking up from it's contents held out a bowl of steaming stew in Raven's direction. He took the bowl, cupping it in both hands letting the warmth wash over his face and sink into his hands.

" What in Atreia happened to ya, boy?" The man asked, eyeing the younger Daeva closely.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Raven said nochalantly. As he stirred his stew absently, flashes of what he had been through came unbidden in a series of random moments and images. Flinching, Raven set the bowl down beside him untouched, his appetite gone. He watched a crasaur clamber up a series of small rapids willing himself to forget.

" Hmmph" The older man scoffed. Then his gruff voice softened. " You had me worried, boy."

Raven rubbed the back of his head." To be honest, Fayvr, I was a little worried this time too." He admitted openly.

" Well, while you were gone, things have been happening; increased patrols, lots of troop movement. The other night, thought I heard screams comin' from Morheim." Fayvr said pointing his ladle in the direction of the Fortress city.

" Screams? From Morheim?" Raven exclaimed! He jumped to his feet only to double over and fall to all fours gasping. His vison blurred and he broke out in a cold sweat. He back felt like it was on fire and he detected several warm trickles creep over his skin. His left throbbing. Raven's stomach turned to ice and he thought he might throw up.

"Calm down, boy. You're in no condition to go runnin' off. There's nothin' you can do." The man said. "What's happened has already happened and been handled

" As long as I draw breath. I can draw my blades." Raven said, choking the words out between breaths. He panted the maxim from rote, but he meant every word. The pain subsided. His head still spinning, he rolled off his knees up into a seated postion. One arm wrapped around him holding the tender spot on his side, the other resting on his bent knee as he collected himself.

" You want to throw that useful life of yours away, boy? Fine. What should I do with the White Wing?" Fayvr said tapping the tip of his dagger.

Raven shot the older man a poisonous look. " She is not to be harmed!" He growled softly.

" Not to be harmed, eh?" The man said dryly. " Well, she's got some skills. She did a fair job of stopping you trying to crush her throat last night." Fayvr said turning his head toward the younger Daeva, tapping the flat of his dagger absently against his boot heel.

Suddendly, everything got impossibly bright. Time seemed to slow and Raven could almost see every snowflake in minute detail. His pulse thundered in his ears, growing louder and louder. His chest burned. What he had done came crashing down on him. He exhaled sharply realizing he had been holding his breath. " I" He whispered in disbelief. " I thought it was a dream."

"T'was was no dream, boy. Heard you cry out. Got there to see blood on your claws and her crumpling to the floor. None's the worry, I fixed her up right. Figured if you took the trouble to bring the White WIng all the way here it was the least I could do to keep her breathing." Fayvr said, not pulling any punches eventhough Raven appeared to be in obvious distress over what had happened to the girl.

" Have I lost it, Fayvr? Have I bathed in so much blood that my soul has been drowned in the sea of it? " He asked pleadingly, his brow furrowed and his words steeped in self-loathing. Staring at hands that now seemed foreign to him, he added. " Am I going feral, becoming dangerous to others?" Raven asked his voice filled with self-recrimination.

" I've seen it happen, but you don't seem the type to me." The other said frankly. "I'd have 'seen to you' last night if I thought that true."

Raven heard sounds coming from the tent. " I think she's awake! Fayvr, can I get a bowl of that for her?" He asked. Fayvr laddled out some stew from the steaming cauldron, handing the bowl to Raven without comment. The younger Asmodian walked up the path , bowl in his hand. He pulled back the tent flap and saw Shade sitting on the rug that covered the ground.

" You're awake." He said, his voice brimming with relief. " I brought you some stew. It's hearty and it's hot. You should eat some."

Shade leapt to her feet, backing away from the sight of him, a hand flying to her throat. "S..stay away from me!" She stuttered. Her voice trembling with fear.

Her reaction stung , but it was the bandage around Shade's neck that cut him to the core. He placed the bowl on the rug as close to her as he could get it without entering the tent. " Shade.." He all but whispered. " I.." The pain in his chest, sharper than any blade had ever dealt robbed him of his words.

" Don't touch me! Keep away from me!" Shade cried, wild with fear having backed as far away as the tent would allow.

"I'm not going to..." Raven cut his statement short when it occured to him that he might not be able to live up to the words he left unspoken. Reguardless of what Fayvr had said, Raven no longer completely trusted himself. " I'll leave you to eat in private." He said, his voice husky.

" I just want to go home." She whimpered. The anguish in her voice tore Raven's heart in two. He fastened the tent flap open, so she would be able to see outside and wouldn't feel so trapped. Then walked away to leave her in peace.

When Raven rose and walked away from the opening in the tent, Shade made her move. Knowing the plate armor she wore ruled out any hope of a stealthy escape, she decided to try her luck with her stamina and speed verses that of the injured Asmodian. Clattering like a tinker's cart, she sprinted from the tent and toward the stream. The familiar sound of some one running in plate reached him, which wasn't easy to miss, it was even easier to guess the source. Raven thought of running after her, but stopped himself. Cursing under his breath, he fought to supress this urge, every fiber of his being screamed at him to give chase, but he knew that doing so would only frighten her further.

"No! Shade! No!" He sang out to her. " Shade, please don't run away. I'll get you home. I will!"

She stopped and turned to face him. The stream between them, Shade felt somewhat safer. Her eyes darted from Raven to the other waterfall that fell away over a cliff to her right and then back to the Asmodian.

"Shade, please come back. It's going to be ok. I'll get you back home." Raven said in a tone one would use to comfort a frightened child. He crouched down in the snow trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. " Shade, please come back, come sit by the fire."

Timidly she came back across the water toward Fayvr's campsite keeping her distance from him. Raven made no move. He stayed where he was, low to the ground just watching her return. Shade went to the fire and sat warming her hands. Raven padded around to the opposite side of the fire pit keeping well away, taking a seat instead by one of the nearby trees. Like clockwork, Fayvr ladled a helping of stew from the cauldron, handing the bowl to Shade.

" You'll have to move her, Raven. She won't be safe here for long with the increased patrols of late." Fayvr said frankly.

" I know. We'll head out tomorrow." He said hugging his knees for warmth.

" Come sit by the fire before you freeze, boy." The older Asmo chided.

" I'm fine. Besides, she seems much more at ease with me at this distance." Raven said. He had been trained to ignore discomfort. Shade thanked Fayvr for the food, got up, walked to the tent and went inside. Raven rose from where he had been sitting and went over to a pile of wooden boxes. Rifling thru the supply crates, he pulled out a thick blanket and took it up to the tent.

" Here, please take this. You'll sleep better if you're not cold." Raven said softly. He placed the blanket just inside the tent before unfastening the tent flap, allowing it to fall, covering the entrance and blocking off the wind. Fetching another blanket from the crate, he wrapped it around his shoulders and went to sit just outside the tent keeping watch for patrols.


	4. Chapter 4

Raven sat huddled under his blanket next to the entrance to the tent. Sometime during the night, when he was sure that Shade was asleep, he had crept inside with two more blankets; one he crumpled under her head for a pillow and the other he laid over her for extra warmth. Raven had let the fire die down to better watch for movement, careful not to let it grow to small to keep Fayvr warm as he slept beside it. For all his outwardly gruff demeanor, the old Daeva deep down was as soft as Brax fur. It had given him hope that he too could mantain a gentle soul after having to harden his heart so many times. Fayvr, in his day had been just as deadly and brutal with his blades as Raven was now. The older Assassin had swum a similar sea of blood and reached the other shore. After what had happened on this last mission, especailly after what had happened just inside the tent, Raven wanted so badly to sit and talk to his old mentor, he needed to, but there wasn't time. Shade must be taken to a safer place. He had to get her home. Sitting in the dark, it came to him. Raven now knew where to take her and to whom.

Shade woke warm under more than just the blanket she went to bed with. Her head resting not on the cold rug, but a soft makeshift pillow. She sat up, streatching. The sun, having crept over the high mountains painted a shadow on the tent flap. It must be his. He sat once more away from the warmth of the fire that was available to him. He did this for her. Thinking these things, her heart softened to him.

Raven heard stirring from within the tent. Shrugging off his blanket, he rose and went down to the fire to fetch Shade something to eat. Returning, he called her name softly." Shade, it is me. I have brought you something to eat." He pushed the bowl inside as far as he could reach without breaching the threshold. He waited a moment and then fastned the flap that covered the doorway off to the side to let the early morning light stream inside. " There is coffee or I could fix you some tea if you would prefer." He said staying low to the ground not looking at her directly.

" Tea would be nice." She said.

Nodding he backed a few steps away before turning to go back down the path to the fire. Mug in his hand, he returned to her. Croutching just outside, he placed the tea within her reach, but made no move to enter. Pulling out his cube, he produced a wad of waxy paper, some clean bandages and laid them by the mug of tea. " Here, I made this salve from the herbs that grow just over the hill. It is just field medicine, but it will help ease the discomfort of..." Raven swallowed, leaving the rest of the words unsaid.

Shade took what she was offered. She noticed the fresh bandages wrapped round his wrists and palms. " The wounds on your back..have their bandages been changed?" She asked.

" They are fine." He said flatly, not looking up.

"Please let me at least check. What happened last night wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing." Shade said taking a step toward him.

"You are not to blame. I gave you my word to keep you from harm. I made a bond between us, a bond I broke with my own hands." He said leaning back and away from his claws subconsciously.

" You were fevered and in pain." She said, her eyes brimming with compassion for the suffering she saw in him. Battered and bleeding she had found him chained to the pole under the tent. Even though he had spoken to her harshly, he had also laid his head in her hand. The look on his face telling her the poor soul could still be saved. Half dead, she had found him out in the sand. The spark of hope within him while dimmed still burned. He had given his escape a valiant effort. She had gone looking to see if her efforts had been in vain and finding him laying lost among the dunes knew without further help he'd never make his way home. Shade had not risked her life to see him perish in such a way.

"When you are ready, we depart." He said softly, as he backed away from the tent. her words were kind, but Raven would not hear them.

After making her preparations, Shade left the tent and went to join the two Asmodians at the cookfire. Raven was speaking to the older one. " I am going to take her to the hermit up on the hill." He said to the other. "I must see her safely home. I owe this Elyos my life."

" You're in no condition to be going off like this, boy." Fayvr growled. He'd seen the younger Sin wounds, his emaciated frame and witnessed him go down on all fours by his fire earlier that day. Knowing Raven well, he had no doubt that the night-maned young male would push himself well beyond his limit to repay this debt. He also was all to aware that the other could be bleeding to death and not say a word.

" She cannot stay here. You said it yourself." Raven countered. Hearing her approach, he turned, not sure what she had heard. Rising from beside the fire he asked if she was ready to leave.

" Yes." She said softly. She nodded respectfully to the older Asmo that had aided them before following Raven as he walked away from the fire.

Raven paused, not looking back. " I will return." He said to Fayvr and then continued up the hill to the right of the camp. The grade grew steeper. As he walked he said to the girl who trailed after him " If the pace we keep is to brisk or you need to rest, please let me know." They crested the hill and just before they descended down the other side, Raven stopped. " This path is steep, take your time and be careful." Halfway down the slope, Raven stopped once again. " The animals up ahead are not as friendly as those by Fayvr's camp. Stay close to me." he advised her. Almost in the dell, he pulled up short again. A bit to quickly for the grade as he heard Shade struggle to stop herself from running into him. He moved off to the side of the path. " Brax are normally gentle, but they spook easily. We will wait for these to pass." he said as a family group of the large hairy beasts ambled up the path of least resistence. After the hulking herd moved on, Raven continued to lead her down the path.

It was only after they had passed thru the dip in the path and were partially up the next rise that Shade spoke. " Do you have family?" She asked.

Avoiding her question for the moment, Raven left the path to pick some Vinna that he saw growing nearby. " Here, eat some of these grapes. They are as nutrious as they are sweet." He said offering her a clump of purple fruit. He popped a handful of them into his mouth to show her the grapes were harmless.

" I have a large family." He said answering her earlier question. " Actually, when I implied that my name would keep you safe in Morheim, it is more because of my surname than my own. Shadowsong's are one of the oldest and most influential families in Morheim. It is more the blood that runs thru my veins than anything I personally have ever done that will keep you inviolate. " He said self-deprecatingly.

" Anyone who could speak such as you have it's turning feral." She said hoping to lift the miasma of his own making she saw him descending into.

He exhaled sharply thru his nose, a smirk she could not see curling one side of his mouth. " It is just a bit further. Watch your step."

" What will you do when I am home? " She asked.

"Report." he said without emotion.

" You need to seek treatment for your wounds. You need to rest." She said her voice vibrating with her concern.

Raven had no time to make an answer. On the path up ahead an earth spirit hovered on one side and a Fungi tarried on the other. Holding his arm out to stop her, he surveyed the situation. Drawing his daggers he said. " Go up the trail ahead of me. I can better protect you from behind. Do not worry. I will be right behind you, just follow the path." he said, making eye contact for the first time that day. His gaze was steady and so were his hands. He knew his eyes blazed with the firey red hue of his people and hope this would not cow her.

Nodding quickly, she did as he had instructed. Raven followed a blade length behind her, ready should the creatures on either side attack. Once they cleared the danger, he quickened his pace to pass her. He lead her up the path and to a trail that branched off of it. Taking her to the first set of stairs, he told her to wait as he went up those and another set that lead to a small house.

" Kistig." He called in a tone she had not heard him use before.

An Asmo came out of the house. Seeing Raven, he began bowing and nodding his head submissively, his hands clasps before him.

"I need a favor. " Raven said standing with that relaxed, slightly feline pose many of his profession could be marked by. A deceptive slouch adopted to hide of the lightening fast reflexes coiled ready to spring.

" Favor? Yes, yes what kind of favor?" Mousey haired man whined, working his hands nervously.

Raven took a few steps from the mage and looking to Shade as he beckoned her up the stairs. " A delicate one." Raven said to the twitchy alchemist as the Elyos approached coming to stand behind him.

Eyes widening even more, the mage ceased his bowing and scraping. " Ah, yes, yes I see. Delicate indeed." He breathed at the sight of the Elyos who came to hover meeking behind Raven.

" Can we talk inside?" Raven asked, looking about.

" Yes, yes. Inside would be best." The Alchemist said motioning toward the open door.

Raven entered first eventhough he had little worry of danger laying inside. It was more a muscle memory that compelled him to do so. He exited the cottage nodding to Shade to enter. As she did, he followed close behind. Kistig crept in behind them,last, closing the door behind him. Feeling Shade stand close enough that he felt her breath on the back of his arm, he turned to her.

" You are safe here. Kistig can be trusted." Raven said softly to Shade. The last sentance he said with his head turned to bore his flaming eyes into the Alchemist who stood by the door. Turning back to her, their eyes met. Shade looked up at him, her eyes fearful, but she did not shy away from him. Contrary to what he expected, she steped closer.

" Kistig, you know the safest routes into Eltnen. I require you to lead this lady there, I need you to take her home." Raven said in a commanding tone.

" Oh! Just that? " The mage sighed in relief. " Yes, yes not a trouble in the least. Kistig knows the safest roads , the easiest paths free from prying eyes. Rave can trust Kistig. " He said the words tumbling over each other as he scurried out.

Wiping a hand over his face with a sigh, Raven walked to a log that served as a seat for the flighty alchemist. Wearily, he sank down on it leaning just the tops of his shoulders against the stone wall. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes, exhausted.

Shade, seeing Raven go from commanding presence to slumping against a wall went to him with worry. She guessed he hadn't slept, having seen him sitting outside the tent when she woke. She didn't know if he had eaten anything more than the grapes he had shared with her earlier. The journey here had been long with many steep climbs and descents. Thinking of the state she had first encountered him, she reached out her hand to touch his brow. The Asmodian made no move to stop or avoid her hand. He was warm, but he didn't burn like he had in the desert. Going to the door, she snapped her fingers, ordering the mage to bring water and a blanket. Loosely she laid the fur hide given her on Raven's lap, setting the water beside him.

"You need to go." He said to Shade without opening his eyes. " Not one hair nor nail, Kistig." Raven said, his voice filled with the promise of unspeakable pain.

" I'll be going then." She said, rising from his side and going to the door.

" Shade!" He called out to her. " Do not take this the wrong way, but I hope in my heart of hearts that I am never called to repay the debt I owe you."

" You owe me nothing." She said softly as she walked out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Raven sat on the stone steps outside the door of Kistig's cottage, whittling a bit of firewood into the rough shape of a dove. The sun was sinking behind him, casting him in deep shadow. He should have felt the chill of early evening descending, but Raven found himself tugging at the collar of his jerkin in an attempt to let the heat it held rise free. Soft foot steps crunched on the loose gravel between the two sets of stairs that led to the hermit's home. Looking up, he saw the flighty Alchemist approach. Nodding, he folded up his pocket knife, setting the carving in a stray tuft of weeds.

" Safely home?" He asked

" Yes, yes..safe as wind and water. Home, home, home I lead the White Wing and safe, safe she flew away." Kistig says bobbing his head repeatedly.

" I knew I could count on you, Kistig." Raven said. He leaned his head back against the doorframe, heaving a great sigh wearily. He felt drained, completely and utterly drained. He had been in bad shape before his escape and he had been pushing himself ever since. Raven knew he was running on empty. He felt the bone deep weariness of sheer exhaustion. Shade being returned to her home was a weight off his shoulders, but there was still much to do. How long had it been since he'd slept for more than an hour or two without the pain from one of his injuries waking him? Too long.

Darting eyes, flit over the seated Asmo. They fell on stained bandages wrapping both hands and wrists. Seeing the faint lines at the edges and dark circles beneath hooded golden eyes, Kistig scurried mouselike to the young Daeva. " Oh, Rave, Rave, Rave what has become of my dark, dark dancer with the whispering blades?" the mage said softly.

Raven opened his eyes as he felt cool fingers touch his face. "It's nothing. I need to get back to Fayvr. He's expecting me."

" Yes, yes, I'm sure he is, but you look so peak'ed. You worry Kistig." The mage fished about in his cube, producing a small vial that he placed in Raven's hand. " Drink, my precious poignard, it's something you want. It's something you need. Rave can always trust Kistig."

Raising the vial to his lips and tilting it back, Raven swallowed the contents. The effect was almost immediate. A cool, comforting fog descended over him. The vial tumbled from his hand to tinkle merrily as it bounced haphazardly on the stone threshold. Blinking slowly, Raven turned his head, reguarding the alchemist, his eye lids heavy.

"Yes, yes...it will all be ok." Kistig said helping Raven to his feet. The leather clad Deava swayed drunkenly. " Lean on Kistig. Come, come. Follow me." The mage coo'ed as he ducked under one of Raven's arms, proping him up. He paused, taken aback at of how light the one he supported seemed. " So thin. So frail. What has befallen my sweet smiling Sin that I return to find him waiting so wan outside my door?"

The world around him was but a murky a haze. Leaning on the Alchemist's shoulder, Raven followed him inside docilely. The ground had an odd squishy feel to it. It rolled and heaved beneath his feet causing him to cling to the mage that lead him.

" No, no...no claws. Almost there, almost there." Kistig said reassuringly. " Here, here. Down we go. Down to soft, soft bed as soft as dark, dark wings." The mage whispered in honeyed tones as he lowered Raven onto the bed in the corner of his cottage.

" Soft." Raven slurred.

" Yes, yes indeed. Soft as cobwebs. Soft as snow. Now sleep my sweet, sweet Sin, sleeeeeep." The words an echo of a memory, Raven closed his eyes and did just as he was told.

The sun streamed in through the open door. A finger of dawn, warm and golden slid down the wall to touch Raven's face. He threw an arm over his eyes, blocking the light. Grumbling, he rolled onto his right side. He lay under and upon brax fur blankets. Warm, soft and familiar, he buried his face into them. For a minute, the past few months seemed nothing more than a terrible dream. Until the sight of the fresh, white bandages wraped tightly around both of his palms and up both of his forearms brought it all home. Raven sat up, throwing off the covers. The cool brisk air hitting his skin was all the wake up he needed. His clothes lay on a chair beside the bed. Donning them gingerly, he walked across the earthen floor to stand in the doorway. A knapsack sat, acting as a doorstop. It was a familiar farewell. Heafting a strap over his shoulder, he walked down the steps and onto the path that lead back to Fayvr's camp.


	6. Chapter 6

( Not based on a RP )*

The rest had done him well. Amazing what a good nights sleep can do, he thought to himself. A slender stalk of Theonia held 'tween his teeth, he found himself humming a tavern favorite as he made his way along the trail to Fayvr's camp. A lone brax stood, chewing it's cud in the center of the path. Raven gave it a gentle pat on the flank. " Move along, Bessie." He said. The hulking bison took two steps forward before stopping once again. Laughing, he scratched the beast behind it's withers. " Good enough, old girl." He said, an affectionate smile curling the corners of his mouth into a lop-sided grin. The sky was blue. The birds were singing and everything was right in the world.

Raven ambled into Fayvr's camp a little after mid day. Dropping the pack beside the older assassin. " Care package from Kistig." he said, taking the steaming bowl that was offered him.

" Did he take the Elly back for his widdle Wave, Wave?" Fayvr said mocking the alchemist's speach. " I swear that guy's touched in the head." The older Daeva said kicking a log further into the fire.

Raven rolled his eyes, eating his stew in silence. Kistig was ok. He'd known the hermit from before he was even a fledgling. He had always been nice to Raven. He used to make trips to his cottage to listen to the mage's stories and learn about herbs and remeidies. The alchemist would sit for hours watching Raven run thru his katas. It was after Kistig had said it looked like Raven was dancing with his blades that he'd had changed the style he had been taught into the fluid, graceful, deadly ballet it now was indeed. There were times since then that it seemed his daggers singing to him as he danced with them and it always made him smile.

Thinking these fond memories, Raven found himself grinning as he finished his meal. He took his empty bowl and a half dozen others that lay stacked nearby over to the stream to wash them. A group must have passed by eariler. Either they were in haste or just not as courteous to their hosts as he. Kneeling gingerly beside the rushing water, he playfully splashed at the Gadil that came up to nibble at what he washed from the bowls. It wasn't long before the crasaurs noticed the comotion and clambered from the rocks they had been sunning themselves to chase after the green fish. Raven sat back along the bank, his laughter cascading as musically as the water in the rushing stream. Fayvr looked up from the cauldron. It had been good to see the boy smiling. It was better hearing him laugh. It told him his old protege was healing, mentally as well as physically. That he hadn't been broken by his ordeal. He'd seen that happen before too. The brass of Fenris' Fang would be please by this when he submitted his report. Pleased might be too strong a word, but he hoped it would make things easier on Raven when he was called before them to make his account.

Still grinning, Raven returned to the fire. He fished thru the bag he had brought from the cottage, removing those bundles that were wrapped in Slyphen wings. Those were meant for him and he placed them in his cube.

" Well, I will be going now. Blood for blood" He said with a nod.

" Raven." Fayvr said, getting to his feet. " I think you should stay here and rest a bit. Get some more of your strength back."

" I have got more than enough strength to go make my report. I am sure they will cloister me in some tiny room with a view of flowers long enough to make me climb the walls as it is." Raven said dismissively.

" Raven..." Fayvr said, laying a hand on the younger assassin's shoulder.

" What are not you telling me, Fayvr?" Raven asked, the smile draining from his face.

" A group passed by eariler today. Things have happened up in Morheim Fortress. Bad things." Fayvr said solemnly as he gripped Raven's shoulder. " I think you should sit down, boy."

" Sit down? Just tell me. Tell me what has happened!" Raven exclaimed, a look of dread darkening his face.

" Morheim suffered an attack. The Fortess lays in ruins. " The older Daeva said, pausing before he continued. "Very few survived...and none from your House that I know of"

" Attacked? None..." Raven felt his knees give a bit, but stopped himself from falling. " My mother? My father? My brothers?... little Wren? Are you sure? No one?" Raven asked looking toward the faint pillar of smoke that still rose from the direction of the city, his voice growing husky. As Fayvr gripped his shoulder tighter, Raven slapped his old mentor's hand away. His eyes, smoldering embers, he sprinted away from the camp, toward his home.

Fueled by an all consuming fear the likes he'd never known before, Raven sprinted up the long sloping mountain trail that lead to Morheim Fortress. A pack of worgs marked his passing, several of them giving chase. Raven ran on, paying no heed to them as they trailed close behind snapping at his heels. Unable to gain ground on the fleet footed assassin, it wasn't long before they peeled away and gave up their pursuit. Onward he ran, seemingly tireless as he drew on resources he never knew he had. Raven crested the hill without slowing, his momentum causing him to skid widely as the path curved, narrowly missing crashing straight into the sheer mountian face that acted as a natural outer battlement for the fortified city. He kept to the deeper drifts along the sides of the path, using it to help slow his descent as he made his way down to the gates in the lopping sidestep of one accustomed to traveling thru snow.

He smelled the acrid smoke as he struggled up the bridge that arched over the frozen lake surrounding the Fortress City of Morheim. Reaching the top, the sight before him stopped him dead in his tracks. His eyes wide with horror, Raven dropped to his knees, his breath exploding from his lungs like he'd been struck by a mighty blow. The once great city lay in ruin, a smoking hulk of toppled stone and blackened timber. The city he'd grown up in, knew like the back of his hand was unrecognizable. Raven rose, a hand pressed to his side. As he stumbled down the bridge, a soldier came up to him. The guardsman said something that Raven couldn't quite make out and he looked at the plate clad Daeva quizzically. The soldier made no move to stop him as he continued past. The bearded Daeva simply clapped a hand on Raven's shoulder shaking his head saddly, then stood aside and watched the stricken assassin shuffle down the stairs into the inner bailey.

Walking as if in a dream, Raven made his way in a slow, aimless serpentine around the chunks of rubble like someone taking a leisurely stroll thru a garden. A thick plume of smoke drifted in front of him temporarily obscuring his vision. Raven didn't wait for it to clear. When he past throught, his eyes fell upon an ornately carved wooden swordhilt poking out from under an overturned stone planter. He went over to where it lay. Down on one knee, he reached out a shaking hand toward it wanting nothing more than to pick it up, but afraid to touch it. After a long moment, he hooked a finger through the knuckle bow and pull the wooden blade toward him. Seeing the Shadowsong family crest burnt into the flat of the blade just below the quillion block, Raven felt his stomach turn to ice. He'd made this toy, carved it with his own two hands to look like the dress sword he so often wore at his hip. He had made it for younger brother, little Wren. When he saw the dark, ruddy stains on the blade and the toy sword's splintered wooden tip, Raven felt something inside of him fracture. Closing his eyes, memories of all the happy times he'd spent with family and friends flashed thru his head. Slowly , one by one all the colour drained from each memory leaving only a sepia tone the colour of the toy sword he held griped around it's wooden blade. He rose to his feet and turned. The fact that this brought him no pain was but a momentary curiousity like a moth attempting to choose between multiple flames . His face expressionless, with hooded eyes he walked to the makeshift teleporter and ask for passage to Panda...to report.


	7. Chapter 7

Raven went thru the rotating golden disk of glowing energy the teleporter summoned, emerging on the other side in the capital city of Pandaemonium. Though he walked calmly without any outward sign of anger or aggression, the civilian city dwellers shying away from him, some stopping to whisper behind their hands to one another. He walked with a purpose thru a city that teemed with people, unimpeded. The flagstones in front of him empty as the locals changed direction or stopped all together, giving the leather clad male with daggers crossing his back a wide berth.

He went to the administrative offices of Fenris' Fang, waiting silently for the clerk behind the counter to acknowledge him. Reeking of sweat, smoke and old blood it wasn't long before the clerk could no longer keep up his pretense of not seeing the Daeva that stood a few steps away on the other side of his desk.

" State your business, soldier." The clerk said loftily as he wrinkled his nose at the aroma exuding from Raven's armor.

" Silversong, Raven K. Soldier Rank 8 returning from assignment." Raven said, giving his official alias. He had been given this name a long time ago to protect not only lives of his family, but their reputation as well. As a highly skilled assassin, the things his superiors sent him to do were often as dirty as they were dangerous. It wasn't just to shorten the name of his profession that those in his line of work were called Sins.

Like most of the sons and daughters of wealthy, aristocratic families, Raven had gone soon after ascension to serve a customary stint in the military; fulfilling a civic duty with little actual desire to protect or serve. Unlike most of the others of his station though, Raven had embraced the military enthusiastically. Continually testing high in boot camp, he had been selected for specialized training early on. Being the youngest of five children, his father agreed to allow his fourth son to pursue the military as a serious profession. It would, after all, take some cataclysmic event to see Raven as heir to the family fortune. After his aptitude for stealth and speed with his blades saw him guided down the path of Assassin, his father had insisted his son officially be given a different surname when called upon to serve in this capacity. It was on that day that Raven became two people: Raven Shadowsong, the jovial and well liked son of a wealthy family from Morheim and Raven Silversong, the shadowy Assassin known only to the clerical staff and medical personnel of Fenris' Fang .

The clerk filled out a form, handing Raven one of the three copies. " Fourth room on the right. I'll have the proper attire sent there later this evening. An Archon will be by to fetch you sometime tomorrow. I highly suggest you make use of the showers before then." The clerk said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Raven went down the hall to his room assignment. He peeled off his armor with neither a flinch nor a grimace. In nothing more than a towel around his waist and sandals, Raven walked dispassionately to shower and shave. Normally, he would have lingered under the hot water, letting the heat and steam relax him before having to make his report. He did not tarry under the cascading water this time. It wasn't that the water running over his injuries caused him discomfort, he simply found no pleasure in the activity. He showered just long enough to wash the odor and grime from his body before returning to his room. Inside, a tray of food sat on the table and a freshly pressed dress uniform hung from a hook on the wall. He ate the meal mechanically and then lay down to spend a restless night on the hard narrow bed. Despite his earlier aloofness, Raven found himself waking several times during the night. A cold sweat soaking the pillow and sheets. His heart pounding in his chest.

It was almost mid day when the archon appeared. He followed the guard down the hall and up a flight of stairs to another hall that ended in a set of double doors. Sentries on either side opened the doors in unison as Raven and the archon approached. Walking to the center of the room, Raven stood at attention before the a group of older armor clad Daevas seated behind a simple betua table. The archon with a click of his heels turned and left the room, both doors closing behind him. A folder containing numerous sheets of paper lay in front of each of the Asmodians before him. Seated in the center, Kvasir regarded the assassin in silence for a long moment.

" We are aware of what transpired during your last mission." The Captain of Fenris' Fang said bluntly. " We are also aware of the tragic event that befell Morheim. Due to this latest development, it has been decided to send you to Sarpan for treatment and physical therapy while it is determined how best to proceed." The dark skinned Asmodian paused before speaking again. " You have my sympathies, son. It need not be said, but the loss of your father will be felt thru all of Asmodae. He was an asset to the Empire and a brother-in-arms." Kvasir said, his usually stern voice uncharacteristically coloured by emotion.

Raven stood still as a stone. His level gaze not betraying the shock of learning they had known what had happened, where he had been and done nothing. As an assassin, he knew that he was considered to be expendable, but it had never really been driven home until right then. Had they known of the suffering he had endured while in the hands of his inquisitors and made no move to save him from it? Had eyes watched as he was sent to labor in the desert and left him to languish there? Had they sat behind their desks reading the reports and left him there to die? The rest of his commander's words fell on deaf ears as he stood reeling from this feeling of abandonment that welled up inside of him.

" Dismissed." Kvasir said.

Clicking his heels together, Raven turned with practiced precision and left for Sarpan.


End file.
